Tangled (MCL Meets Disney)
by Inkwolf17
Summary: Requested by littlemwrites on tumblr. Candy was a princess who visited her Aunt in the woods everyday. One day she almost died and her magical Aunt saved her life. A little healing magic stayed with the princess and when she sang her hair could heal those touching it. But her healing magic attracted trouble and lead her to forget her happy life. (Check my tumblr for the nsfw part)
1. Chapter 1

_**Tangled: Castiel x Candy**_

 _Once upon a request, there a girl who shall be known just as Candy. Born to King Philip and Queen Lucia of a small country Candy was a happy princess. She was loved by the people and she loved the people, especially her Aunt, Agatha. The woman was a bit of a nutbag even for an enchantress. Her Aunt lived in the woods of Kingdom and was named the town healer for her abilities. Traveling to her hut was a simple task if one knew how to get there. The young princess knew the way like the back of her hand, she could find her way there blind, it was second nature to her that she had done it a thousand times no less. She'd walk beside the sluggish stream, climb over a fallen log, step smoothly onto the stone, and then skip the rest of tree root filled path._

 _So when she was late one morning to greet her Aunt, it was impossible to believe anything other than something being wrong. However, Agatha being optimistic simply couldn't think that Candy had gotten lost. Just caught up. And she was right, Candy hadn't gotten lost. Candy had gotten hurt, she had managed to crack her head open after tripping on a root. Finding Candy's head lying in a pool of blood was a nightmare come true for Agatha. In a moment of panic and desperation, Agatha used a little too much of her healing magic on the girl._

 _When Candy awoke in her Aunt's hut, she found her once-blonde hair had turned a vibrant pastel pink color. There was a moment of shock, but the 7-year-old girl got over it, pink was her favorite color and the shade of pink quickly became her favorite. Candy thanked her Aunt for changing her color and returned home unaware of the truth. The truth comes out eventually despite the best efforts of an enchantress with a song._

 _A 9-year-old Candy was beginning her first voice lessons when her hair began to glow. Frighten the vocal teacher away for good and many rumors to spread in the kingdom. With the hidden secret revealed, Agatha fessed up to the accident. After much proper inspection, it was determined Candy had taken some of Agatha's magic. Her hair was enchanted with healing magic and it appeared only when she sang the magic would work. Candy took the news well, she could be more like her Aunt. A desire to help and to heal grew inside the girl's heart, and put the desire into her singing._

 _Her voice became renowned by the age of 11 and Candy was invited to sing for a crowning in the next kingdom. Candy happily accepted the invite, the trip took several tiring days. The group that had gone to protect stopped to rest with only a few miles left. The only villager to take the group was a lonely old woman at the edge of the town. The old woman didn't ask for much, she only wished for some company and some assistance with work. Candy felt her heart wrench, for an old woman to be living alone and in pain was heartbreaking. Right as everyone else fell to sleep Candy lied awake unable to hush her mind._

 _She got out the bed and decided to spend a moment out in the cool air. When she stepped outside, she watched the old woman stack firewood. The old woman stared back at Candy when she noticed Candy was outside. She struggled to get up and so Candy assisted her._

"Are you alright?" _The princess asked concerned._

 _The old woman let out a soft grunt in response._ "Yes, it's just my legs. They are very weak it takes a while for me to get up."

"Is there really no one to help you?" _She had heard the woman say she was alone when she offered her home._

 _The woman nodded her head,_ "My husband died long ago before I came here. I don't have anyone else to care for me. I do my best, but I'm afraid my ailing body can't keep up."

 _Candy knew she had to help the old woman. "I can help with that…"_

"Really?" _The women's eyes widen and hope-filled them._

"Yes, please just hold onto to hair carefully." _The princess nodded her head and took a small part of hair in her hand. She gave it to the old woman who took it into her hand._ "Whatever you say, dearie."

 _Candy closed her eyes and began to slowly sing a small tune that was her favorite. There were no words just a rhythm she came up with. She was always good at expression her mood through hums. She stopped singing and peeked open her eyes to see the old woman. The woman was standing a bit straighter and a glowed a little. She had a sweet smile that quickly disappeared when the magic stopped._

"Oh, dearie please don't stop. I'm still ailing, you must sing more." _She was a bit frantic as she begged. Candy felt guilt wash over her and it was her turn to be frantic._ "I am so sorry. I just wanted to see-"

"I understand. Please sing again, your voice is beautiful." _The old woman's voice was calm now and kept Candy from getting more upset._

 _The young girl closed her eyes again and begun the song again. As a few moments passed Candy noticed that she had been singing for a while. Longer than she ever needed to sing for and the old woman had barely said anything. Just a few words of encouragement. Her voice quivered a bit, and she stopped. She had to sing in a day or two and her voice had to be at it's best. She'd never put so much strain on it._

"I can't sing anymore ma'am. My voice is at its limit. I would do more put I need t-" _A flash of light and odd noises erupted from the home. The old woman was no longer standing in front of Candy._

 _A young woman with long brown hair and blue eyes smiled sweetly at Candy. She leaned in and whispered into the stunned princess's ear._ "Thank you, dearie, you were this wicked old witch's salvation. I have many plans for you, little sis."

 _Candy succame to the darkness and fell into a deep sleep. But her ears did not fall deaf to the screams and shouts coming from the house. And the sight of wicked smile gleaming in the light._


	2. Chapter 2

_When the princess awoke she had no memories of her past; she only knew her name was Candy. She was in an unfamiliar room, that had dark brown stone walls. There wasn't much inside the bedroom as far as she could see in the dim light. Her inspection of the room was cut short with a soft knock on the door._

"Little sis, are you awake?" _A haunting voice asked quietly and gingerly._

"Huh? Who are you? Where are we?" _Candy was anxious to get away._

 _The stranger frowned,_ "Oh no. You don't remember anything do you?"

 _Candy perked up, but she was still defensive._ "I know my name is Candy. You still need to answer my questions!"

 _The stranger gave her a wry smile and took her hand in hers. "_ My name is Deborah and I'm your older sister."

"My sister?" _The words didn't seem to fit Deborah or sound right when she said it. Deborah frowned and look of teary sadness crossed her face._ "Yes. I so sorry you got hurt, those men rea-"

 _Candy stopped her 'sister' as a sign she took the bait._ "What men?"

"Right I should explain. You see sis we are enchantress; we have magic, powerful magic. With magic come trouble. We were living peacefully with our parents in a small town until these men passed by. They saw you using magic and thought they could force us into doing their bidding. We fought for awhile, but you and I were the only survivors. I was so afraid I was going to lose you." _Deborah on the inside was smiling at how easy it was to play the young girl._

 _Guilt and curiosity automatically washed over the kind girl._ "I'm sorry I worried you. What magic do I have?"

 _Deborah finally let go of Candy's hand and took a seat on the bed._ "Healing magic. Which is very both dangerous and good. It was the reason they didn't attack you as much."

"Why can't I remember anything else?" _Now came the tricky part Deborah had spent the past few hours working on._

"Your healing magic must have locked away your memories or destroyed them at worst. You did witness our parents be killed. It was so horrible, it's best not to try to remember that stuff. To remember them will only bring you pain and guilt. I must bear that pain, though."

"I feel awful about this. I wish I could have done something. Is there any-" _She didn't get to finish her concerned thought._

"Well if you insist there are a few things you can do. For starters, you must never leave the castle, to keep you safe. I was able to find this abandoned castle, we're in your room in the tower. Also, I'll have to leave on trips to get supplies and I'll be gone for days at a time. You'll need to take over the chores until I return home. I may also return with suitors, you must treat our guest with respect by doing as they please. Lastly, I will brush your hair whenever the pain is too much and you can use your magic to help me heal." _Deborah did not hold back at all._

"How does-"

"You've forgotten about your own magic? Well, it's simple sis when you sing your hair can heal whoever is holding it. You can heal and bond with me again while I brush your hair. Most importantly I need you to know what I'm doing is to protect." _Deborah hadn't missed the beat in making Candy feel like an idiot._

 _Feeling like idiot Candy shook away an feeling of doubt,_ "Ok, sis."

 _And for many years Candy listened to her 'sister' and her rules. When she was alone, which was often; she cooked, cleaned, tended to the garden, and dwelled in many arts to keep herself busy. She often would transcribe tunes and songs on sheet paper in her spare time. At least when she wasn't brushing her long hair or finding ways to keep it from interfering with her work. She was always happiest when her older sister would return, especially with guests. The only time she'd ever get to hear about the outside world was with guests. Her sister often brought men, but none stuck around too long. The curious Candy would always ask what was wrong with the suitor during their 'bonding' time. An array of answers where always presented, each was shallow and callous. Not that Candy minded too much, the downfall of the suitors was most men she'd be set up with weren't too kind to her. Her elder sister always got the nicer ones, the ones that Candy wanted._

 _Being the good person Candy was, she never confronted these men about her feelings. She never regretted holding her tongue for her sister's sake of happiness. They were too in love with Deborah to care, anyways. But one suitor always managed to wander into her mind, one of the kinder suitors she had met, a musician with black hair and steely grey eyes. He was a gentleman at first, but Deborah allowed him to tease Candy whenever she could. He became a slightly tougher person the more time he spent with Deborah. He still managed to be nice in his teasing. Candy still felt sorry for him when she knew her sister was going to break things off. Then Candy sadly made the mistake of confessing her feelings to her sister first when she felt the relationship was getting close to being over._

 _Deborah couldn't allow her 'sister' to be stolen away she spared the suitor no mercy with the break. The results were horrendous. An old friendship was broken, a rivalry was fueled, red hair, and the poor musician lost his will to play. That was the worst thing her sister had ever done to anyone before and slowly Candy stopped idealizing her elder sister. A tiny bit of rebellion was planted inside her and that rebellion was ignited by flaming red hair._

"Damn it all to hell! I know the castle is here somewhere." _Castiel grunted frustrated and played with his lute's strap._

 _He, his dog, and his best friend Lysander had been walking for hours. In order to save the little money they had they choose to walk. They had been walking for days in order to reach the kingdom city of Amoris. There was music festival and word had traveled. The two had met because of their shared passion for music in a local bar. They formed a duo group, Lysander proved the singing and Castiel played the lute._

"I know I'm forgetful but how do you forget where a castle is?" Lysander asked amused by his friend's forgetfulness. It was a nice change for Lysander. "A huge place mustn't be that hard to find."

Castiel felt some rage boiling in him, but he let it all go with a sigh."Listen my old lover was paranoid. She lost her family after some travelers attacked her home. Her sister is the only family she has left now, so they live in a very well hidden castle. She has her sister sleep in the tower, for her safety."

The large black and brown hunting dog perked up. "Woof! Woof!" The dog barked happily and he jumped a little. He had become antsy. His red hair owned looked at his longtime companion with hope.

"Demon you remember where the place is right?" His question was answered with another, "Woof!".

"Then lead the way, you crazy mutt!" Castiel patted Demon's head with a proud grin on his face. He motioned with his hands to go ahead as he did whenever the two would hunt. Lysander followed silently amused at the display.

But a question crossed his mind. "Are you sure the sister will let us stay?"

Castiel shook his head without looking at Lysander."Absolutely. The girl loves visitors, she doesn't get out. Deborah doesn't like her leaving so she can't get hurt. Candy was sweet even when I annoyed her or when Deborah would yell at her."

"Her name is Candy? What does she look like?" Lysander was now more interested; Candy was such an odd name.

"Pale skin, amber eyes, thin, cute in a kid way, and very very very long pastel pink hair. The longest hair you'll ever see. She never cut it for some reason." Lysander was impressed how easy it was for Castiel to describe her. He got a feeling that Castiel may have liked her more than he would admit. "Interesting."

"Haha. There it is! What I'd tell you? As long as Deborah not home we got a free stay."

Castiel was grateful as he saw the peak of the tower he had referenced before. The two sped up their pace until the massive castle came fully into view. Though both of their spirits were lifted Lysander keep his calm and collected mindset. "Hopefully Candy will be kind to let us stay for free. We are rather low on money Castiel."

Castiel let out a growl slip. "I'm aware of that Lysander. That's why we didn't stop at that inn before." Lysander ignored the growl and continued being the voice of responsibility. "So how do we get in?"

"The same way Deborah gets in." He silently prayed Deborah wasn't home.

"CANDY!" Castiel screamed. He frightened Lysander and began a screaming match.

"HELLO?"

"LET DOWN YOUR HAIR!"

"CASTIEL WHY ARE YOU HERE?"

"YEAH, I CAME FOR A VISIT!"

"DEBORAH ISN'T HERE!"

"I WAS PASSING THROUGH! DEMON WANTED TO VISIT YOU TOO."

"Arf!"

"I'M NOT SURE DEBOR-"

"I BROUGHT A FRIEND WITH ME. HE'S FROM THE COUNTRYSIDE WHERE THEY RAISE HORSES AND RABBITS!"

A second later a massive length of beautiful pink hair landed with a soft thud in front of Castiel. Castiel turned back to Lysander, his eyebrows were raised, a smug grin spread across his face, and his eyes screamed 'I told you so.'


	3. Chapter 3

_After some climbing, Lysander made it inside the window. The girl as Castiel had described was holding onto her long hair. A stunned expression blossomed on his features, he now had a million questions for the girl. The girl named Candy had a bright smile on her face and her eyes scanned over Lysander. She looked away to try and hide the blush on her face. Her blush was forgotten when she unexpectedly took a step forward. Lysander rushed to her side and helped to steady her, soon enough Castiel was at the top of Candy's locks and tumbled into the room._

"Hey, little girl." _Castiel smugly addressed Candy knowing well how much the nickname annoyed her._

"Castiel." _She didn't hold back on the glare._

"This is my friend Lysander." _Candy's glare dissipated when her eyes landed on Lysander. Her eyes glowed with curiosity and joy._ "Hello I'm Candy and I'm going to need some help for Demon. He's much heavier now."

 _The duo helped pull in Candy's hair until Demon was in reach for Castiel to pull him through. Demon was tied securely in Candy's hair, Castiel smoothly untied Demon from the hair. Demon happily pounced on Candy, once he completely free, and attacked her with slobbery kisses. Candy happily giggled and kissed him back on his head. Lysander and Castiel couldn't help but smile at the sight. When the two were done with their little reunion Candy got up and gave Castiel a quick hug. Castiel was rather confused at the gesture; it almost felt warm and intimate._

"I'm sorry about how my sister ended things." _Castiel's confusion cleared; she felt guilt nothing else. A feeling she shouldn't have been feeling in Castiel's opinion._ "Don't worry about that."

 _Candy shook her head in annoyance and corner._ "But your hair and-"

"You're worried about my hair? Little girl, I still don't understand how you can stand that 50-foot mess." _Candy pouted at his words to hide her nerves, she didn't tell him about her magic. Now wouldn't be a good time to tell him nor was she any good at lying. Lysander had unknowingly come to her aid._

"Castiel I don't think you should be rude to our host." _He sounded as if he was Castiel's mother. Candy couldn't help the smile that crept across her features as the image came to mind._

"Yes, Castiel your friend Lysander knows exactly what he's talking about. Be nice or you won't get any dinner. Take a hold of my hair and carry it for me."

 _Castiel scoffed, but complied with Candy's request; Candy made the best food he'd ever had. He wasn't use to this version of Candy, she was bolder. Not that this Candy was a bad thing in his opinion; he didn't think much had changed after he left. Once in the kitchen, Castiel dropped Candy's hair and let her get to work with the food. Shortly Candy had finished prepping dinner and the trio had a nice meal._

 _Candy got up to clean._ "Thank you for the food, Candy," L _ysander spoke jumping at the chance to break the silence that had fallen upon them after Candy was done with her questions._

 _She turned to say._ "It's nice to have company." _She turned her attention back to the mess._ "Deborah is always disappearing for days. She claims it's to get more supplies, but I'm sure she's just meeting men. She doesn't want to tell me so she doesn't have to bring me home a suitor."

"She didn't when I was here," _Castiel muttered as Candy finished her cleaning and led them to the tower. Candy had managed to hear him and couldn't help wanting to patch up the rough spot with him._ "Well, I was just getting into having suitors visit me. She had planned to send me your friend, but that was befo-"

"Let's not speak of Nathaniel," _Castiel said to interrupt her recount of the breakup._

 _Candy frowned, his wound was still raw_. "A-Alright then." _She needed to change the subject fast._ "Then tell me where you two are headed. A visit from an old lover of Deborah's means favors are needed."

"Well I nev-" _Castiel was ready to use a sassy remark to lie but Lysander decided it'd be best not to._ "Amoris, the kingdom of Amoris. Also known as the land of the sweet singer."

"S-Sweet singer?" _The term echoed in her head and she couldn't help getting a feeling she couldn't name._

 _Castiel scoffed._ "Just some story of some made up princess."

"A fairy tale the people tell as a part of their origin story. The best musicians come from that kingdom and the best are discovered there. They hold this competition to find the best new musicians in honor of the princess." _Lysander had expanded more on the story so Candy couldn't ask._

"You both wish to enter then?" _Candy guessed. Lysander nodded his head._ "Yes. I am a singer. I can think of nothing else I'd be happy doing. Besides writing."

 _Candy's mind started racing and the unplaceable feeling grew._

"I want to go," _She stated suddenly, stopping Lysander and Castiel._

"Huh?" _The two males asked as if they misheard the girl._

 _Candy spun on her heel and held a determined look on her face._ "I want to go with you. I need to get out of this castle and see something."

 _Surprisingly Castiel was the one to reason with Candy,_ "Are you sure? Deborah-"

 _Candy rose her hand to stop him._ "My sister isn't here and I need some freedom. I just want to hear music again; I haven't heard music since you were here. Deborah never bothered with finding another musician."

"No," _Castiel said sternly. Candy copied his expression and pulled out her trump card. "Take me or I'll call my sister and have her handle you."_

 _Castiel would have argued with her more, but Deborah was no joking matter anymore. Not when he was in her home without her knowledge. If Candy could contact her sister, they'd be dead._ "...Fine." _Castiel growled through gritted teeth._

"Good." Candy chirped. "Now if you are both ready for bed we can stay in my room."

Candy spun back on her heel and resumed to leading the way to the tower.

 _Lysander began to protest like the gentlemen he was._ "We'll stay in De-"

"Bad idea Lysander. Deborah will definitely know we were here." _Castiel recounted how Deborah had a knack of knowing if Demon had been on her bed while they spent time at the castle. Or how she could tell if Candy recently changed the sheets or not._

 _Candy opened the door which led to an endless amount of stairs. Candy took a basket from the windowsill of an open window beside the door. She stepped into the stairwell and turned to a hidden shelf. She had grabbed fresh linen and packed it into the basket. She gave Demon the basket to hold in his mouth. Castiel commanded Demon to head up, and the dog set off running. Candy turned her attention back to the open window. There was a rope that reached the top of the tower. Candy wrapped her hair expertly in the rope and pulled on it. She sped up her pace and in a few moment Candy stopped; her hair was back in front of her. She grabbed a hold of her hair and began to climb. Castiel and Lysander followed. One by one they tumbled through the window. Candy went to work in pulling her hair into the tower and out of the pulley system. Lysander and Castiel went to the door and waited for Demon._

 _The dog collapsed at the door and Castiel had to carry him to bed. Candy took a few of pillows off her bed and gave them to Castiel and Lysander along with some linen._

"You two are going to have to sleep on the floor." _Candy told them as if they hadn't planned to do so._

"Or we could sleep in the bed with you," _Castiel suggested to arise out of Candy. Which worked a bit too well._

"W-Wha? H-Hold." _Candy looked as if she was going to have a panic attack. Lysander gave Castiel a quick jab in the side._ "He was only kidding. The floor is fine."

 _Candy hurried to get dressed still red in the face. Lysander gave Castiel a pointed look as his friend was bent over in pain. Candy took one of the bags Deborah used for collecting supplies. Her sister had charmed it to hold anything and weigh nothing. She stuffed in her clothes and the few pieces of jewelry she had been given as gifts._

 _She turned back and saw the duo were both asleep on the floor. They had had a very tiring journey. Even Demon was passed out on her bed. She let out a wistful sigh and went to her knees. She was hesitant, but she gently ghosted her fingers over Castiel's features. He looked so peaceful, and rather sordid thought burned her mind. She retracted her hand in fear and shuffled into her bed. Her whole body went red. Yet her eyes wandered to Castiel's figure on the floor and fell into a comfortable sleep. She was later woken by Demon's slobber; Castiel had a smug look on his face as he stood over Candy. Demon hopped off the bed and ran down the stairs._

 _Candy sat up and slipped off her bed. She took out a simple blouse and pants and changed behind her screen; another gift she had been given. When she was done, she slipped on her thick garden boots. She tossed her bag out the window and hooked her hair on what should have been a wall hook for a hanging plant. She gestured that Cas and Lysander do the same and then the trio slid down her hair. They retrieved their bags and found Demon resting at the bottom of the stairs. Candy made everyone breakfast and packed some food that would last for a few days. The group left through Deborah's personal passageways and began their venture towards the kingdom of Amoris._


	4. Chapter 4

_Candy had the biggest smile on her face as she and the boys walked. It had been a few hours since they'd left and they getting closer to the kingdom. The trip would have taken a week to travel but the passageways were magical enchanted. For some reason, the passage couldn't take them to close. The passage cut the trip down to 2 days worth of walking. Thus was the reason why Candy didn't even trying to contain her excitement, which amazed Lysander and Castiel. They understood she never had been out of the castle, what stunned them was that the girl claimed she'd be faster barefoot. The terrain of the forest was a little rough and unkempt; even with their shoes, their feet were sore. The petite girl was almost dancing across the forest floor, her feet just carried her over the roots and branches._

 _Lysander let a chuckle slip as he imagined Candy to be a fairy. "Castiel you should have told me that Candy is a fairy." Candy stopped when the words reached her. The word fairy sent a shiver down her spine._

 _Castiel noticed that the words had an effect on the young girl and decided to play with her more. "Hey, don't get full of yourself little fairy. Just cause you're ahead of us doesn't mean you'll last much longer."_

 _Castiel's words didn't resonate like the word fairy. It had some power, but she couldn't place what. "Fairy?" Candy had let the word slip from her lips._

 _Castiel just assumed it was she was a dense Candy moment. "The way you've been effortless moving through the forest. Any normal person would be in pain, not mention how small you are. The pink hair also sells the fairy."_

 _Candy turned, her finger raised, to Castiel and gave him a quick jab. "Not all enchantresses have pink hair!" Candy looked shocked by her sudden statement. Her mind had gone blank._

" _Candy we're talking about fairies, not enchantresses." Castiel had said to scold the young girl._

 _Candy eyes widen and she turned away from him. A blush had risen up and she didn't need Castiel teasing her about that. "S-Sorry I don't know where that came from."_

" _Sometimes you worry me." Castiel had ruffled the top of her hair, angering Candy._

" _There's nothing you need to worry about." The red blush had spread all over Candy's face. "I'm completely fine."_

 _Castiel raised an eyebrow and looked down to her feet. "If your feet are in any pain I understand. You don't have to pretend."_

" _It feels natural to me go barefoot. My feet aren't something you should be worrying about. What's your plan for this music festival?" Candy had finally managed to look at Castiel, her pout managed to draw his attention more than the blush still on her face._

" _Well there's a contest Lys and I want to entry. We hope to win. If we don't, our names will get around."_

" _That seems like a solid plan." Candy admitted, she was impressed. A smug smile spread across Castiel's face. "It is. I spent a few days thinking about it."_

" _Of course, it'd take you that long. That's the Castiel, who Deborah dated, that I know." Candy giggled happily she finally had an opportunity to tease him._

 _Castiel didn't think much as he snapped at her. "At least, I'm doing something with my life and moving on."_

" _What's that suppose to mean?" Angry began to flood Candy at Castiel's suggestion._

" _Castiel." Lysander and even Demon tried to warn Castiel from doing something stupid. "Arf."_

 _Castiel chose not to listen."Almost nothing has changed with you since I last saw you. You've only gotten slightly taller, a little bit rebellious, and a little older."_

" _It's not my fault, though." Candy huffed. That didn't sit well with Castiel._

" _Come on, Candy what are you 15 now? If we didn't come along, then you would have never left that castle."_

" _Oh, you really want to take maturity into this? Mister I don't want to hear the name or reference my old friend-" Castiel managed to interrupt her. "Don't." His angry warning only fueled Candy's boiling rage._

" _-Nathaniel! Also, I'm 18, and don't bother talking to me for the rest of the trip!" Candy turned her back to him and sped ahead of Castiel. Castiel just shouted to her, "Fine!"_

 _Castiel slowed his walking so he and Lysander could be side by side. Lysander let out his sigh and mumbled. "How childish."_

 _However Castiel had heard his comment."I know right." Lysander's silence and the sour look on his face gave him away. "You were referring to me?" Castiel was honestly stunned to find his best fried choosing Candy's side._

" _I don't know what happened between you and Nathaniel, so I'm not going to make any final judgements. However, from how both you and Candy have been reacting what happened was bad, but Candy seems to have forgiven him. Also knowing you, Castiel, you tend to explode easy and hold grudges you could've let go ages ago." Lysander explained a bit frazzled._

" _Candy wasn't directly hurt by the incident. She wasn't stabbed in the back." Castiel replied through gritted teeth._

 _Lys nodded, "Yes but I have a feeling that the incident wasn't pleasant for her either." That left Castiel begrudgingly speechless._


	5. Chapter 5

"The sun's going down we best make camp here. Castiel can you go collect wood Candy and I will set up the pit." _Lysander voice broke the long, stubborn silence._

 _Castiel nodded muttering a quick_ "Sure.". _He headed off into the woods without any protests._

 _Candy and Lysander dropped their bags into one heap with Castiel's disregarded stuff. With very little communication they began to gather rocks for the pit. The stubborn silence Lysander broke was now a very awkward silence begging for one of them to speak._

 _When the pit was finished, Candy took the moment to end the silence._ "So…Did Castiel ever mention the incident or Deborah, or um me?"

 _Lysander took the back of his right hand to his chin and began to think._ "Nothing much, just that he was hurt by a girl who lived in the woods. Now that I'm thinking about it again I recall he was mumbling something about peaches."

 _Candy's cheeks went red and she turned away as the memories flowed back._ "You must be curious as to what happened."

 _Lysander couldn't help nodding still in the same position as before_. "It would be nice to be clued in as to what your spat was about."

 _Candy took in a deep breath,_ "My sister goes out and looks for suitors in different towns. When she's found someone she likes she brings them home. I stay in the castle waiting for her and keep myself busy with chores and hobbies. My sister has me wait for hand and foot on her and her suitor. She often bores of them and then she breaks them. With Castiel, she was 'happy', so much that she brought along Nathaniel for me. He and Castiel were good friends and she thought we'd make a good couple. I-I took Castiel's side when she was thinking about breaking up with before he could see her. I told her that he was different from the other suitors and that he'd be good for her. She thought it'd be funny to use Nathaniel. Especially when she realized weren't going to click. She said it was like killing two birds with one stone." _As she finished, she let a huge sigh escape her lips._

"She sounds...lovely." _Lysander tried his hardest not offend Candy._

"We have a rough past. Our parents were killed and Deborah I guess hasn't dealt with it well. I can't even remember what happened because I blocked from my mind, It's painful to think about it." _Candy couldn't shake the eerie feeling that what she admitted was wrong. She summed it up to the feeling being caused by Lysander's disapproving eyes._

"That's terrible. But that doesn't mean your sister is excused from toying with people. Just because someone had a bad experience never justifies anyone for creating more pain in the world."

 _Candy helped to finish setting up, but she did so in a daze. She just couldn't shake the feeling Lysander's words. They had struck a chord deep within her; something she didn't know was hiding. Her emotions were battling it out in a rampant storm. It was profound and by the time she managed to figure one feeling out she filled with uncertainty. She was utterly clueless as to why it was having such an effect on her. Lysander and Castiel quickly took notice of Candy's state; it was too creepy not to notice._

"Candy?" _Castiel called out to the girl hoping to pull her out of her state. It wasn't very effective._ "...What?"

"Are you-I...I'm sorry about earlier." _Castiel apology managed only to get some emotion out of her as she apologized._ "I'm sorry too."

 _Castiel gave Lysander a 'I tried' look before calling to the girl again._ "Candy."

"Yes?" _Her voice was still lacking emotion._

"Do you still sing?" _Lysander could sense the smirk on Castiel's face while he watched Candy squirm._ "I-oh well- ah I didn't know you knew I sang."

"Told you that would do it."

"What are you-" _Candy didn't finish before Castiel answered her question._

"You were in a daze and it was freaking us out. So I tried Lysander's way and then I did things my way. My way is always the way to go."

"You jerk!" _The pinkette pounded her fist against Castiel's chest. Castiel held his hands up in defeat trying not to laugh at the pathetic attempt to hurt him._

"How about we eat? Looks almost ready." _Lysander made the suggestion whilst chuckling at the scene before him._

 _As they eat the group chatted more about their plans for the rest of the trip. Finally getting out into the air the plan made clear to all. With said and done Candy steered the conversation towards a casual one._ "So what are looking forward to the most for the festival?"

 _Lysander was the first to respond._ "The actual city. I've never seen much besides the countryside."

"The girls..." _Candy glared. "_ And the other musicians. I hear some well-known bands are performing."

"I'm just so excited to be a part of it. Even if I'm not competing. Oh, I forgot! What songs do you have planned?"

"I wrote some ballads and a few hymns. Castiel's composed the music for it all."

"Can I see what you've written?" _Candy was meek when she asked. She was like a child who wanted another cookie._

 _Lysander's eyes lit up_. "Oh, course you can...Castiel could you hand me my bag? Where is my journal?"

"Don't tell me you misplaced it." _Castiel groaned as he lied on the ground._

"I know it's in my ba-Found it! Here you go; be sure to tell us your thoughts."

 _Candy held a bright smile when Lysander gave her his beloved journal. She took great care in reading. She could hear the music in her mind growing in volume as she read further along. She started singing the lyrics to herself so she could grasp the entirety of the song. The two young men couldn't help but silence themselves. They let the girl sing quietly to herself. Before long they were in the same kinda trance she was in as she sang. A calm befell the camp; the fire grew dim and the animals in hearing distance slumbered. Lysander and Castiel let Candy soft voice be the thing to ease them into sleep._


	6. Chapter 6

_When morning came, Candy was the first to get up. With the remaining scraps of food from their dinner, Candy prepared the leftovers for a quick breakfast. The remaining bones and bits of meat went to a very appreciative Demon. Candy ate her food and left the boys their meals in their bowls. She left with Demon in tow and a fresh batch of clothes and a brush in her hands. Castiel felt like he was dealing with deja vu when he woke up to a missing Candy and a sleeping Lysander. Remembering his dream Castiel for once did the smart thing. He woke up Lysander._

"Lys-Lys wake up," _Lysander grumbled and stirred._ "Hey wake up!"

 _Lysander's eyes slowly peeled opened as he came to._ "Castiel? What's wrong?"

 _Castiel tried to hide his franticness and play himself off as curious._ "Where's Candy?"

 _Lysander let out a groan._ "I don't know Castiel I just woke up."

 _Though he relaxed his body, a little Castiel mind was still buzzing_."I thought maybe you knew where she went."

Lysander rolled his eyes as he moved onto the back. "How would I know that?"

"I thought since Candy left you food that you were up when she left."

"I wasn't, and if she left us food, then she must be fine. Where's Demon?"

"I didn't even notice he was gone."

"Perhaps Candy took Demon with her. If she's hasn't come back after we've eaten, we'll go looking for her."

"Alright."

 _The boys ate their food in silence for two reasons. One, Lysander was still tired and him eating was done very slowly. Two, Castiel was too distracted to talk. The boys were almost done with their breakfast when Candy had finally returned back to the site. Demon had run ahead and tackled Castiel. Castiel struggles to get Demon off of him Candy smiled at the sight._

"Did you enjoy your breakfast?"

"Yes. Where were you?" _Lysander continued eating while he asked his question._

"I found a pond to bathe in. Also, I needed to brush my hair."

 _Castiel had finally managed to get Demon off of him when he said,_ "We need to get going, or we'll miss the train."

"Train?" _Candy couldn't hide how clueless she was._

"Yeah, we have to take a train to get into Amoris."

"No," _A blush grew on Candy's cheeks._ "I meant what's a train?"

 _Lysander and Castiel shared a brief look. Lysander was off-put, and Castiel seemed like he expected her question._ "It's like a big metal box on wheels. But it's a lot nicer than it sounds."

"Not that you'll be riding with us," _Lysander said quickly before starting ahead of the group._

 _Castiel's anger flared as he rushed to chase after Lysander._ "Wait why me?"

"Because Demon won't sit still without you. We need to save our remaining money. And your hair might attract unwanted attention."

"We can thank Deborah for that." _Castiel looked back Candy and made a face. Candy had to stiffen her giggle._ "What about Candy's hair?"

"They'll believe that a girl used a dye on her hair for the festival. She can claim it was for fashion; Leigh told me it was popular. I can not control the rumors that would spread from-"

"ALRIGHT I GET IT! I'LL BE THE STOWAWAY!"

 _Castiel ran ahead of the group, and Demon followed his lead. Everyone started running, and Candy couldn't feel happy for the first time in a long time. Candy quickly understood how a steel box on wheels could be a lot better than it sounded. The train left Candy awestruck when she up close to it; how much of the world was she missing out on? Lysander bought the tickets and Candy choose the seats. When the train whistle went off Candy jumped a little. Lysander chuckled, and Candy joined him. Her excitement was dialed down when a feeling of guilt crept up on her. Her mind drifted to what Castiel could be doing. She didn't notice the train conductor making his way over to her and Lysander._

"Where are you two heading?" _The conductor offered the pair a friendly enough smile. He was a large blonde man._

"Amoris." _Both had answered at the same time._

"Are you both going to the festival?"

"Yes, we're meeting a friend there. It'll be the first time in a kingdom for us. We're countryside folk." _Candy chirped gleefully._

 _The conductor pulled a rose from his pocket and announced._ "Well then welcome to Amoris."

 _Lysander and Candy looked out the window and saw the kingdom across a beautiful lake. Colorful banners were visible from across the lake. Both of their eyes lit up with excitement as the train neared closer to the kingdom. Candy wondered for a brief moment if Castiel could see the kingdom. Soon enough they'd all be inside the walls of the kingdom and be swept up into the festival. Candy kept her eyes transfixed on the approaching kingdom. Lysander took the time to write a new song. Thankfully when the train finally made it to the station, there were so many people coming for the festival Castiel and Demon snuck into the crowd without a problem. Candy spotted Castiel and started waving to him._

"Castiel we're over here!" _Castiel, in turn, gave Candy a weird look that read 'What the hell?'._ "See that's our friend over there." _Candy tugged at the conductors sleeve while Lysander made a circular motion with his hands._

 _Castiel didn't like what they were doing, but he started making his way over to them._

"Enjoy the festival and good luck if you're entering the contest."

 _Candy jumped off the train, and Lysander followed her. Before she dove into the crowd, Candy turned around to shout back a goodbye to the conductor_. "Thank you. It was nice meeting you!"

 _When Candy joined the boys, Castiel was watching her with a scowl on his face._ "You guys ready?"

"The real question is what should we do first?" _Candy remarked to correct Castiel and answer his question._

"We should visit my brother. We can stay with him and his fiancee at his shop. Then we can ask a local what we should see and avoid."

 _Castiel nodded his head in agreement._ "Sounds is it?"

"I-uh can't remember." _Lysander had a quizzical look in his eyes as he tried to remember more about his brother's shop._

 _Candy tried offering some help by asking,_ "Do you know the name of it?"

"Tailor."

"OH FOR FU-" _Candy and Lysander couldn't hear the rest as the train whistle blew. Candy was grateful for that._

 _Candy went up to Castiel to ease his anger._ "We can ask around if anyone knows of a Tailor named Leigh."

"Yeah but that'll take us the rest of the day to do." _Castiel groaned. Candy'gave Castiel a quick pat on his back._ "Listen you two go looking for Leigh and I find out where we need to sign up for the contest. We should meet here when it's getting close to sunset."

 _Candy's smile faltered as heard Castiel's plan. Lysander only nodded his head and turned to Demon._ "Demon keep Castiel safe and out of trouble alright."

"Boof."

"I should be the worried the one here, not you. Peach fuzz is only going with you because she won't get lost as quickly."

 _Candy pouted._ "If he's in trouble don't save him."

"Boof!"

"Bye Demon! Be safe!" _Candy yelled back to the dog while she dragged Lysander out of the train station_.


	7. Chapter 7

_Castiel constantly debated whether sending Lysander and Candy alone was the best idea. He'd been able to find the area to sign up for the competition fairly the line was dreadfully long the situations that Castiel's mind kept producing kept him busy. He kept imagining the two of them standing in the middle of a busy walkway to stare at the attraction. Or them spending all their money at the vendors. He imagined them being mugged at one point. There were only a few people in front of him when he finally realized he was seriously worried about his two companions._

"Is that him?" _A female voice queried from behind Castiel. He turned around to see who the woman was referring to. Much to his relief Candy and Lysander were standing with a white-haired woman and a man with raven hair. Lysander made eye contact with Castiel before leading his group over to his best friend._

"Castiel this is my brother Leigh and his beloved Rosalya." _Lysander tilted his head and used both of his hands to introduce his family. Candy came up to Castiel placing a hand on his shoulder with a warm smile._ "I'll sign you up. You should be able to talk with them for a bit about our stay."

 _Before he could protest Lysander cleared his throat._ "Mmhh, it appears the inn you booked us, is full."

 _Castiel stepped out of line to discuss the matter; all while Candy submitted an entry for Castiel, Lysander, and herself. Once finished she had to force her way through the crowd. She was almost to her friends when she collided with a blond girl. Beginning to utter an apology Candy froze when she saw the girl's face. It looked so familiar, yet she knew she'd never met this girl before._

"Watch it! You're lucky this an old dress you swine, otherwise I'd have to buy me another." _The girl sneered at Candy._

 _Candy, in turn, tried desperately to explain herself,_ "I was trying to get through to my friends and-."

 _The girl stood up to look down at Candy,_ "Don't waste your breath. I don't have time to deal with commoners anymore. I'm going to be a star once I win the contest."

"Oh, you're competing as well?"

"Of course," _Using the back of her hand she guided her tresses of gold behind her shoulder as a smug look grew on her face._ "I am the most beautiful maiden in this kingdom. God made me beautiful because he made me for greatness. Which means all of me is as a great as my beauty.".

"Candy, come on. The boys left to set up the boutique. Lord help them once they open." _Candy found Rosa warm smile offering her a quick rescue. She got up and bid the girl goodbye before the duo made their escape._

"Thanks for saving me."

 _Rosa threw a glare over her shoulder._ "Glad too. Little miss princess is known for being a royal brat. Amber once had the nerve to tell me that she was doing charity work by buying one of Leigh's dresses."

"Is that her name? Amber?"

"Yup. Stay away from that girl. She comes from a wealthy family and brags about how one day she's gonna marry a prince. I feel bad for whoever catches her eye."

 _Candy took Rosa's warning to heart. She didn't need to be told twice about avoiding trouble. When the girls made it to the stand, they found Lysander and Castiel overwhelmed and Leigh struggling to pick up their slack. With an exasperated sigh, Rosa lifted one of her hands to her lips and let a sharp whistle ring out. With everyone's attention on her, Rosa ordered them to all form two lines. One for those who needed help and another for those who were trying to buy something. Anyone who wasn't going to buy something needed to leave. Amazingly everyone listened; next thing Candy knew she was picking up discarded clothes and folding them. She had made two piles of clothes before Castiel joined her._

"I've been ordered to help to you fold."

"Great! If you could just start a new pile things should go smoothly."

 _Candy focused on folding until she stole a glance at Castiel. He was folding the clothes poorly. Placing her hands on top of his she guided him to fold the clothes nicely. She helped fold a few shirts until he was able to do it himself. Once he was set Candy gave him a bright smile and picked up the pace folding her clothes to make up the time. To help the time pass while they worked they talked about everything they'd been doing since they last saw one another. Castiel recounted how Demon woke him up, how he stumbled through the woods for days till he found a bar, which was when he leaned Deborah gave him red hair, meeting Lysander, getting a job performing at the bar, and eventually saving up enough money for the trip. Candy didn't get the chance to tell her story; Rosa had announced the last customer of the day had been served, and all other customers would have to wait until tomorrow. Before long after that, the stand was locked up, and the group was upstairs for dinner._

"Candy this so good!" _Rosa praised Candy for her food. She was helping herself to seconds before anyone else._

"Well, years of cooking, lots of free time, and plenty of cookbooks have taught me well." _She rubbed the back of her neck gingerly as her facade became as pink as her hair._

"If you cook like this all the time I might just offer you a job being our live-in housekeeper."

"Oh no, I couldn't. I need to go back home once the festival is over. My sister would be worried if I wasn't home.", _She flusteredly declined._

 _Castiel gripped his knife harder and tore up the rest of meat on his plate before stabbing the pieces. After a couple of bites, Castiel tossed the rest to Demon. Something in his stomach didn't sit right, and he couldn't determine what. It was hazy as if he was walking through dense fog while he tried to think about it. He only gave up his efforts to determine what was troubling him when he started getting ready to sleep._

"She's terrible." _Candy stated aloud as she among other contentious had to listen to Amber's pitchy singing._

 _Lysander looked deeply disturbed, and his face was washed in relief once she was asked to step off stage,_ "Who's next?"

"That would be us." _Castiel's grumpy expression had hardened before he spoke again._ "Oh guess who's a few people after us. Peach Fuzz. Do you have songs?"

"Yeah. I have a few; you helped me write some of them, remember? You even taught me the guitar, and I tried to teach you the piano." _Candy stood her ground she only faltered when she remember how close and warm he was._

 _The moments when she thought he was flirting with her. Before he could remind her that he didn't remember much from their time together, he and Lysander were called to the stage. Eventually, it was Candy's turn to take to the stage._

"I call this song, Yellow." _Candy sat down at the piano and played a few keys before singing._

"Look at the stars,

Look how they shine for you,

And everything you do,

Yeah, they were all yellow."

 _Candy got halfway through before she stopped playing. The silence was killing her and one more moment of it would kill her. Deborah always told her that other people wouldn't like her voice and now she was sure they hated her._

"Thank you." The man was...crying. "N-now onto our next performer."

 _Candy walked away disheartened but still confused._ "Was it so terrible?"

"Terrible," _Castiel deadpanned. Before cracking a smug smile at Candy._ "I'm joking. It was really good."

"I certainly have to agree." _Lysander had a genuine smile on his face as he agreed with Castiel. He turned away from the group,_ "We should head back to the shop, they won't announce who's moving on until later tonight."

 _The group headed off to help again unaware of an angry pair of eyes staring them down. The owner of the eyes thought to themselves bitterly,_ 'Oh that little brat didn't and with him?'

"Now ladies and gentlemen we have another maiden, you may have heard of her. We are proud to welcome Deborah to the stage."

"Oh, my angels. We're in the top 10." _Candy's jaw was nearly on the ground unable to comprehend what she just saw._

"Ok, we are going out for drinks tonight!" C _astiel announced proudly and eagerly, eagerly for him. Lysander had rarely seen his friend so excited, and he couldn't bring himself to stifle that excitement._ "Alright, then one drink each and then we'll leave."

"You two should go ahead without me. I don't have money to spend. I don't want to mooch off of you guys."

 _Once the boys were out of sight Candy's shoulders and smile dropped and panicky thought to herself,_ 'Kill me.'

 _At the very top of the list was Candy's worst nightmare come true._

 _Deborah Mink_


	8. Chapter 8

_Despite her earlier protest of not wanting to go out, Castiel still tried to get her to go. Though normally his taunts would get the best of her and she did actually enjoy drinking. At least she enjoyed drinking with him; the fear of knowing Deborah was in the city kept her decision more concrete. She felt a pit of regret and bitterness swell up, watching the people from the apartment window reminded her of her home. She'd escape one prison and now with her sister back in the picture she was chained again._

 _To distract herself she looked through her songbook. The next round would be held the next night. Though it was a bit soon and a late time to choose the festival didn't last for more than a week. When the trio signed up, they had performed on the very last day. All who wished to join needed to prepare several songs. Choosing was going to be Candy's biggest problem; she had sung them all plenty when she would complete chores around that lonesome castle. She pulled out the flyer with information about the next round. The theme was ballads or romantic songs, old and modern. That actually helped to narrow down the songs she could use._

 _Once set on a song, she began to prepare for bed she just changed when the door clattered opened. A drunk Castiel and Lysander stumbled into the apartment. Castiel led Lysander to his room before stumbling out to the kitchen._

"Are you ok?" _Candy rushed over to support the drunken Castiel. She led him to a chair and sat him down._

"Yeah I-I just want to have some water." _Candy nodded and poured him a cup. He took and drank it like a shot._ "This reminds of the first night Deborah brought me to your home. I only just remembered now, it hurts to remember. Your sister really messed me, peach fuzz."

 _Candy let out a soft chuckle and a soft murmur of,_ " You use to call me that then too."

"Did I?" _He took the refilled cup and chugged down it again._ "My head feels like I'm being pounded by hammers."

 _Stealing a glance back to Lysander's room Candy tossed her braid at Castiel. He cried a 'hey' as he was assaulted by the pink rope_.

"Shh. Just rest your head on my hair and close your eyes. Trust me."

 _Watching his eyes close and snuggle into her hair Candy felt at ease. She closed her own and began to focus on her humming. With a soft glow Candy's hair lit up; warmth filled Castiel's mind and with it memories. Lots of memories about Deborah the good and the bad. Then came Candy the good and the bad that wasn't so bad. Questions started forming in his mind._

'Why am I remembering this? How did I forget? Why the hell did Deborah do this to me?'

 _Then with a start, Castiel woke up to see a groggy Lysander._

"Bad dream? No more drinking before a performance." _Even his voice sounded groggy, the boy could use a few more minutes of shut-eye._

"What? No the-" _Castiel never finished as Lysander's attention was set on clearing his throat._

"We just finished breakfast and Candy went to get water for her bath."

 _Rather than trying to explain himself he went up and went to eat whatever he could. The day ahead was requiring that he'd need it. Meanwhile, Candy was visiting one of the city wells with Rosa she noticed that her pink hair was a big hit among the other girls._

"Rosa is there a reason a lot of girls have their hair pink like mine?"

 _Rosa first gave her an odd look, but she shook her head._ "Well, there's a story that from this kingdom a girl was born with the most beautiful voice ever heard. She sang so well that a fairy from the woods was so enamored with it that she offered the girl one wish. The catch was she'd have to travel to the fairies home every week and sing to her. The girl wished to have beautiful pink hair like a flower and went on her merry way singing for everyone in the kingdom. Her voice was so magically that her hair would glow when she sang."

 _Candy's heart jumped into her throat._ "Glowing hair? What-what happened to her?"

"She left one day to travel the world and share her gift. She promised to return one day, and the kingdom has been waiting since. That's why they're holding the competition, to attract her or her possible descendants to their home."

"Beautiful story." _Candy murmured as her heart sank to her stomach._ "So the hair dye is to honor her then?"

"It inspires hope, and our kingdom gets so much business for this festival it's more of a blessing for us. Now, what song are you going to sing?"

"Another original. It's always been a hobby of mine, so I've decided that I'm only going to use originals."

"Leigh and I should be able to come, but if we don't, we'll be at the finals."

 _After a few hours of preparation, the contestants were lined up and ready to sing. They'd all go in the order they were listed the previous day. Deborah was. First, Candy and Castiel stayed towards the back and out of Deborah's sight. They didn't speak a word until they knew she was off the stage and the next act was performing. Finally with a brave face Candy strode onto the stage as she listened to her named being announced._

"I named this La Vie En Rose."

" _Hold me close and hold me fast_

 _The magic spell you cast_

 _This is la vie en rose_

 _When you kiss me heaven sighs_

 _And tho I close my eyes_

 _I see la vie en rose._

 _When you press me to your heart_

 _I'm in a world apart_

A world _where roses bloom_

 _And when you speak, angels sing from above_

 _Everyday words seem to turn into love songs_

 _Give your heart and soul to me_

 _And life will always be la vie en rose._ "

 _Once finished with her song, the crowd responded with applause. She curtseyed in response and headed back to the rest of the performers. She didn't want to sit alone among the crowd, and the boys were performing next._

"We call this piece, Can't Help Falling in Love."

" _Wise men say_

 _Only fools rush in_

 _But I can't help falling in love with you_

 _Shall I stay?_

 _Would it be a sin_

 _If I can't help falling in love with you?..._ "

 **"Thank you to all our contestants. We will now announce the top 3 performers for the finale. The Duo of Sir Lysander and Sir Castiel, Lady Deborah the powerful singer, and lastly** **Lady Candy, the little singer. These 3 performers will be given 3 days, the second to last day of this festival, to prepare 3 songs. One song must be religious, the second will be either an original song or instrumental, and the last piece will be an operatic piece is to be a song by the top 2. The contestants will be judged by the royal musicians."**

 _A wave of cheering came with the applause at the mention of the royal musicians. Candy looked over to Lysander and Castiel and noticed the excited look in Lysander's eyes. She'd have to ask him about that later. Her focus shifted to Castiel who was making his way over to her. He wore his cocky smile proudly as he locked eyes with her._

"We made it! Let's grab a drink. It'll be you and me tonight."

 _Despite her blush giving her away, it didn't stop her from doing her best to stop herself from stuttering._ "S-sure, but this is the only night I'll go out drinking with you until the competition is over."

"Whatever you say Peach Fuzz. Now follow me."


	9. Chapter 9

_Castiel decided to take candy to the same pub he was at with Lysander. He really wasn't in the mood to go search for a new one, and he had to admit the pub didn't serve half bad food. Can you still can get over the fact that I was her and Castiel. It was rather strange that Lysander didn't want to come, but she had to assume that maybe he had to talk something over with his brother and private and that's why he chose to stay behind. She couldn't help, but feel a bit uneasy almost felt like old times, but yet it was also like she was finally living out one of her fantasies. As long as she had known Castiel and had a crush on him, she always imagined possibly living in a village or within_ castle _limits. To actually go out in public with other people and finally learn about fancy places that her sister would go and pick up her suitors._

 _She only had the stories of all the other men and her sister tales where they met in the things that they did. To finally be out and see what the big deal was about a pub was exciting. Castiel it was like any other night for him back home. Finding a booth tucked away in the back corner of the pub Castiel and Candy settle down. They waited for one of the wenches to come and take their orders. An uncomfortable silence between them._

 _'_ _Is this a date? Is this how my sister met Castiel? Does she even know that I'm here? What's going to happen when she finds out? She'll probably be serious with me I just I just can't go back yet. Maybe she'll let me stay until the competition's over. I can convince her to let me compete so if I win I can use the money and give it to her. Best to make her happy I won't have to worry for a while...'_

 _Just these few thoughts ran through Candy's mind she thought about all the little things that could go wrong. The drinks came, and Candy barely touched it._

 _Castiel teasing voice broke the silence._ "Peach fuzz I'm surprised you aren't happier right now. We're in the next round. Top 3. We beat an entire kingdom."

"I-I am!" _Flustered Candy took a big sip from her drink trying to prove her point. However, that didn't matter as she almost spat it out to the voice of the last person she wanted to hear._

"My dear baby sister how are you?" _Though her voice was playful Candy knew better._

 _Her muscles tensed, her blood ran slow and cold, everything in her body screamed danger._ "Deborah…"

 _She set her sights on Castiel._ "Kitten it's so good to see you again! I'm so surprised to see you here with my sister. How sweet. Candy may I ask why actually you're here? When I thought you were home?"

"I um, um-" _Candy wide-eyed felt like her heart was going to burst. Castiel let out a chuckle and finished his drink._

"Funny, I just asked her the same thing. Apparently, your little sister decided to try to bake a new dessert for your return and was out of cheese. While in town shopping someone told her about the festival because of her hair. Your sis was just asking me if there were anything nice you'd want if she won the money."

 _Candy face matched the color of her hair. She didn't dare look to see her sister's face. She managed a nod. The silence was knife twisting in Candy's chest._

"Candy dear you're just the best. I'll see you at the competition then." _Deborah giggled and ruffled Candy's hair. Her eyes still lingered on Castiel._ "We should catch up too."

 _She left the two of them to talk with an attractive man with black hair. They left together. Candy let out a sigh of relief once Deborah was the door._ "Thank you. I hope we convinced her. She'll be so mad when we go home if we didn't."

 _It was Castiel's turn to sigh, but out of frustration._ "You know you have a great shot at winning, right?"

"So?" _Candy's eyebrows knitted together. Castiel leaned forward resting his forearms on the small table._

"If you win I think you stay. Life in the castle seems pretty nice to me."

"Cas it seems nice but I hav-"

 _Castiel cut her off knowing what her answer would be._ "No, you don't. You know what girls your age are doing? They're off living their lives. You can't expect that you'll live forever in the priso-"

"It's not a prison." _Candy did her best to reason with him; it only angered him._

"Candy don't let your sister control your life."

"I don't! I'm just listening to her advice. Cas I'm going back with my sister, ok. I-I don't want to upset her. She's all I have. It's far better than being alone."

"There's Rosa, Leigh, Lys-" _Castiel had begun to list off all their friends._

"You and Lysander aren't leaving after this?" _She honestly didn't expect that. They'd had come with basically nothing._

 _Candy knew that Castiel had a family with his parents back in his hometown. He'd once talked about how he was going to buy the tavern and let his folks run it so they wouldn't have to work themselves to the bone on a farm. Candy stood up and left the table without another word._

"Hold on-" _Castiel begged her to stop but she couldn't. Maybe it was the alcohol, but she couldn't handle her emotions right now. He had a family he was going to leave behind for money. A family he'd known his entire life while she couldn't fathom a single memory of her parents. She couldn't even recognize her own sister. How dare he tell her what to do with her life? He didn't care about her, why should he have a say. He had no right to be involved. He knew that she'd go back home. It was their deal._

"Hey gorgeous where you hurrying off to?" _A blonde man who gave out of nowhere asked Candy suddenly making her jump._

"Oi buddy back off my lady!" _Castiel voice was so sharp it made the mystery man back away from Candy._

"Your lady?" _He asked not at all convinced of Castiel's claims._

 _He moved past the stranger and Candy's hands._ "Angel I know I said to start off without me, but I didn't think you'd get so far so fast."

 _Castiel put on a charming smile and gently kissed the tops of her knuckles. He turned his head back to the blond guy to glare at him. He had left before Candy ripped herself away._ "What was that?"

"That guy had no business being around you. I made sure he'd leave." _Candy set off again._

"I could have told him to leave me alone."

"Doesn't mean he'd listen."

"I'm used to guys like him."

"Does Deborah bring those types of guys around for you?" _Castiel grabbed her by the arm. He was tired of running away._

"Don't change the subject? My life is fine as is." _She didn't want to have this conversation again. Especially not with him; anyone but him._

"You're wasting your life waiting for your sister to bring home someone who you'll probably never be happy with. Stay here with us-with me."

 _A shadowy figure watched them making out._ "I should have turned him into a cat." _She spat to no one really._

 _She looked over to the dark-haired man she'd met earlier. The one she had sported to see if Castiel would take the bait of jealous. Fury welled in her; he was falling in love with her prize, again. He needed to be cut out of the picture, quickly._

"Come on. I need a screw."


	10. Chapter 10

p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"emAs the morning rays cascaded through the window pane it brought a subtle warmth to the bed they landed on. Typically this added warmth was noticed by Candy, it was a wake-up call. However this morning she didn't notice the warmth as it was insignificant compared to the heat coming from Castiel's naked body. Their limbs were tangled together a result of spending the night together. After the confession, the alcohol kicking in, and all the suppressed emotion brought back with the kiss the two couldn't resist. They both didn't realize how strongly they felt until they finally had connected the way only lovers could./em/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"emThe two had crept into the apartment doing their best not to wake up their hosts. With Lysander and Castiel sharing a room they opted for the place they could be alone, Candy's room. Thankfully Rosa had decided it best to spend the night with her fiance so their drunken night couldn't be interrupted. Soft closing the door behind them Castiel came up behind Candy. He placed his hands on top of her shoulders before leaning down to whisper to her./em/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""I want you so bad right now. How badly do you want me?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Bad."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"emHe let out a throaty chuckle. Even in a moment like this, she was still seemed to be able to make laugh at her naive tone./em/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""That's not the answer I'm looking for." Before she could retort Castiel was kissing the crook of her neck./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"emHe would switch from her neck to tracing her jawline. His hand rubbed her shoulders easing her tense body. Eventually, she let out a sigh and leaned into his chest. It gave him better access to her neck and a nice view of the top of her breast. He began to nibble on her ear causing her to moan in pleasure all while bringing his hands to rest on her breasts. She wore a corset that was laced in the front and gave him limited places to grope her breasts./em/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""You-you"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Yes?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""T-take it off."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"emNot long after did they both fulfill the desire they both still held onto for so long. By the look on their faces, they enjoyed it and weren't going to wake up anytime soon. Had it not been for Rosa barging in they would have slept until noon./em/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Candy is their anythin-" Rosa froze, her eyes grew to the size of saucers, and her cool demeanor fell. "I um I'll let you both get ready."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"emIt took Candy a minute to process what had happened. Castiel was still sound asleep until Candy's sharp cry and contact with the floor woke him up. Castiel groaned; his head felt groggy, and it seemed as if the world was spinning. He was clueless as to what was going on. He pulled himself up on the bed and saw Candy dressing furiously. He couldn't remember much, but quickly was putting together what had happened. He looked down at himself and seeing his naked form confirmed that his growing theory was right. This time he had actually slept with Candy, and he couldn't even remember it. Candy rushed out the room leaving Castiel to put on his clothes from the night before. When he came out, he noticed Candy was nowhere to be seen and the rest of the group were silently having breakfast./em/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""What did you say to her?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Excuse me?" emRosa gave him a pointed look, and Castiel glared back not backing down. He'd say nothing wrong, and he didn't like what Rosa was suggesting./em/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""If you're referring to how Candy pushed me out of bed and then left without saying anything being my fault I'd love to know why too."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""You didn't say anything?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Waking up by crashing to the floor doesn't help a hungover man function."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""You need to fix this. She just up and left."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Fix what? She ran out before I could function. Peach fuzz is probably just embarrassed I'm not sure why though."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"emRosa bit her lip and broke eye contact with Castiel./em "Oh don't tell me you woke her up didn't you?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"emRosa's silence spoke for itself. Castiel was pissed, she came and attacked him when it was her fault./em "When she gets back we'll talk wherever the hell she went. Till then Lysander and I need to prep."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"emCastiel sat down piled up his plate and eat with the other in silence. Meanwhile, Candy hurried down the crowded marketplace. She looked down at the piece of paper in her hand, she had found it by her windowsill while she was changing. She knew instantly what it meant and that she no choice but to follow it. On the slip was a name and after asking one of the locals, she found out it was one of the many inns in the kingdom. She had to travel to the other side of the district before she manages to spot the inn. As she got closer, she quickly noticed how much nicer everyone looked. She made her way into the inn and directly to the check-in counter./em/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Excuse me I'm-"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"emA grim-looking man cut Candy off./em "We're booked." He didn't bother to look up from his work./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Oh no I'm not looking for a room-"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""We don't need any more maids or wench's." emHe brought up his hand and signaled for her to shoo./em/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""I'm looking for a guest here."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"emThe man finally looked at her and gave her a once over. He sniffed./em "You must be new. You girls have to the side entrance."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Excuse me? I'm looking for my sister. Deborah." emCandy was lost, and this man wasn't helping her mood. The man's face grew red./em/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Miss Deborah has never mentioned a sister, and she stays here every time she comes through here. I have to ask you to leave."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""No, she'll be furious if she thinks I didn't come. Please just take me to her room. I'm Candy, she has to have mentioned me-"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"emLike magic, Deborah arrived just in time to see the man try to throw out Candy./em "Little sis you came so soon. Francis I was just coming down to inform you to expect her arrival."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""My apologies I didn't expect her to-"em Francis looked pale as he realized what he had almost done./em/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Pay our breakfast for breakfast, and all will be forgiven."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Yes, ma'am. I'll have the cook prep your regular."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"emDeborah cocked her head for Candy to follow her to the dining hall. They sat in a private section so they could speak freely while they ate./em "Candy I must say that I was shocked to see that you managed to get this far into the contest. What I really didn't expect was that you'd be so stupid. Do you have any idea of what they'll do if you reveal your magic?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""I know how to control it." emCandy countered quickly taking a bite of a biscuit./em/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"emDebrah looked down into her drink./em "Candy you're putting us both at risk. Not to mention you got Kitten involved. If he remembers that I used magic on him, he'll become suspicious. They'll come for us both."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""It'll be fine...I'll perform an instrumental piece. No singing." emCandy offered compromise with the hope her sister would be kind./em/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Candy the longer you stay here, the worse. You need to drop out and go home." emDeborah's voice was firm./em/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"emCandy pleaded./em "I've never asked much of you. Please let me have this. If I make it through the next round, the money is as good as your."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""What about the castle? Joining the royal musicians?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"emCandy had forgotten about that part./em "Can't we just say no?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"emDeborah sighed./em "You don't just say no. Candy if you win you'll have to stay and work for them. Your secret will eventually come out, and then you'll be branded as a witch. Would you like to be burned?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""I know you want to protect me, but I have to live a little."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""I'll be here when you stop acting like a brat."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"emCandy left the inn soon after a fire burning inside her. She was going to prove her sister wrong; she was going to live the moment./em/p 


End file.
